Approximately 80 percent of highway bridges in the United States pass over creeks, rivers, and streams. A common threat to these bridges is scour, which undermines the integrity of bridge piers and abutments.
Scour is especially threatening during floods and other periods of extreme river flow activities. During such activities, erosion of the foundation materials below the bridge piers causes structural instability. This process can be very dynamic, with erosion taking place near the peak flow rates and deposition of sediments occurring during descending stages of the flood.
If scour is not identified in time, the structural integrity of the bridge can progressively deteriorate. Development of a simple, reliable, and cost-effective scour monitoring system could have a tremendous impact on bridge safety.